1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a heating system and is more particularly directed to a heat pump system of an air conditioner that extracts heat from ambient air when the latter is over 47.degree. F. and automatically shifts to fluid heated by a solar collector when the ambient air is less than 47.degree. F.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present air conditioning systems which utilize both ambient air and solar heated fluid for providing heat to refrigerant during the heating mode are found to be both complicated and expensive in cost and inefficient in operation. None of the present air conditioning systems utilize a heat exchanger in its heat pump system that transfers to the refrigerant heat taken directly either from solar heated fluid or ambient air depending upon whether ambient air is less than 47.degree. F. or above said temperature respectively, at which temperatures the heat pump is operating at a high coefficient of performance.
Some air conditioning systems that use solar heated fluid during the heating mode use the heated fluid to heat air which is then blown into the heat exchanger to give up its heat to the refrigerant. Other air conditioning systems store the heated fluid in large tanks to collect same and have it available when the ambient air drops to below 47.degree. F. Both of these systems are inefficient; a great deal of heat of the solar heated fluid is lost before arriving at the heat exchanger.
The applicant avoids the above indicated objections to the present systems of utilizing selectively both ambient air and solar heated fluid by having a heat exchanger that is capable of extracting heat directly from ambient air or fluid and transfering the heat directly to the refrigerant and a system for shifting from ambient air to solar heated fluid and vice versa at the critical temperature of 47.degree. F.